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Topic: Tools for the cutout. (Read 47985 times)

This is the list of tools kathyp and I have used for our cutouts.1. Sawzall corded , the cordless one will not last long enough.2. Extension cord for the above item.3. Bee Vac with Shop Vac.4. Smoker and fuel for it.5. Serrated knives, my favorite is a small pumpkin carver because it fits intosmall spaces.6. Veil (beesuit if they are mean)7. Camera, you want pictures8. Bee brush9. Screwdriver for prying stucco. Prybar will work also.10. Big tupperware/rubbermade container.11. A bucket with water or a hose.12. Marble / tile cutting blades for sawzall. I recommend you have at leastfour. you will burn through them. For stucco walls and soffits.13. Drill with large masonry bit. 14. Flashlight to look into dark corners.15. Queen cage just in case. Or empty jar with holes in the lid (clean the jar)16. Safety googles and breathing mask17. Paint scraper for removing comb remnants.18. Tarp, having two is even better.19. Baby Wipes (you will be a sticky mess)20. Duct tape 21. Window screening. 22. Plumbing straps and screws or Hive staples.23. Hammer 24. Staple gun.25. Sprayer26. 8 foot ladder27. Keyhole saw, razor knife, linoleum knife

1. The sawzall will cut into walls, ceiling and soffits. Have the right type of blade. I love cordless sawzalls but cutting stucco drains them quickly. So I recommended corded.2. Extension cord for sawzall, drills, and shopvacs.3. Bee Vac to get those bees in the tight corners.4. Smoker because getting stung sucks. Running out of smoker fuel sucks also.5. Serrated knives so you can cut the comb out. Small knives fit into tight places better.6. Veil and beesuit for when the bees don't like you. At the minimum a veil and long sleeve shirt. After you have done it for a while you can do it in your shorts if you want. But go in protected first.7. Camera, No cut out happens unless you have proof. ;)8. Bee Brush to brush bees into box or out of the way. 9. Screwdriver, prybar Because when you have cut that opening you actually need to remove the piece.10. Big container for extra comb. 11. A bucket with water or hose. For clean up of honey on walls and your self. The hose is better because if the bees get way to nasty you can use it to make it rain and calm down the situation.12. Sawzall tile blades because Stucco is concrete and hard to cut. Even these blades burn out quickly.13. Drill (may be cordless) with a large masonary bit or whatever bit is appropriate for the material you are drilling. A hole saw blade can be used on drywall. This gives you the ability to see where the comb is. Also the drill bit should be large enough to allow the sawzall blade in so you can cut the material.14. Because being in the dark with bees is a bad thing.15. If you do spot the queen you do want to save her. A queen cage or jar with holes in the lid will work great. Make sure the jar is clean.16. Googles and mask because going to the hospital because you got concrete in your eye is far more embarrassing than going in with a few hundred stings.17. A paint scraper removes those small comb remnants. You don't want to leave comb in the wall.18. Tarp because this is going to be messy.19. Baby Wipes because your hands are going to stick to everything.20. Duct tape to seal up small openings in the hive or secure hive parts. It's duct tape you always need it. 21. Window screening because it keeps the bees in the box. I use this with duck boxes and cover the entrance. And drive with the bees in the truck.22. Hive staples , plumbing straps because if you have a cut out that fills three boxes and you stop suddenly you want the hive bodies to not slide off each other.23. Hammer for those small but needed adjustments. 24. Staple gun for screening and anything else you can think of.25. Sprayer small one and exterminator types filled with cold sugar water. To catch swarms. Spray the swarm down and put bees in box. Warning bees don't like showers and may express their displeasure.26. 8 foot ladder because not all of us are basketball stars27. Something to cut drywall with.

Thanks to kathyp for her contributions. Suggestions welcome.

Sincerely,Brendhan

« Last Edit: March 13, 2008, 08:52:34 AM by Understudy »

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The status is not quo. The world is a mess and I just need to rule it. Dr. Horrible

I used a side grinder with masonry wheel on stucco. On that church I did the prying and wire cutting and all the popping didn't help the disposition of the bees. I use a circular saw for the majority of wood cutting. I would think the sawzall, going in and out, would equate to hammering, especially if you hit something with the end, and we all know how bees hate banging and popping and knocking. Then a hand saw if the skill saw doesn't quite reach where it needs to go. Sheet rock is simply cut with a knife that looks a lot like this I know, it's call a linoleum knife. But I happen to have it on hand.

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:rainbowflower: Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak. :rainbowflower:

I added keyhole saw, razor knife, linoleum knife. I understand the side grinder with the masonry wheel but with me it seems that upsets them more than the sawzall with a tile blade. I can also use the sawzall for wood cutting so it is one less thing I have to carry around. However there is nothing wrong with a circular saw.

Sincerely,Brendhan

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The status is not quo. The world is a mess and I just need to rule it. Dr. Horrible

the sawzall is so fast, i'd think you'd be done before they'd get to upset.

my big contribution was the baby wipes. :-) i know for a fact that you can go 17 days without a shower if you have baby wipes :-P

thanks for posting this. it is so helpful!

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.....The greatest changes occur in their country without their cooperation. They are not even aware of precisely what has taken place. They suspect it; they have heard of the event by chance. More than that, they are unconcerned with the fortunes of their village, the safety of their streets, the fate of their church and its vestry. They think that such things have nothing to do with them, that they belong to a powerful stranger called the government. They enjoy these goods as tenants, without a sense of ownership, and never give a thought to how they might be improved.....

Excellent list guys, Thank you so much for the list. I hope to get a few this year. After losing 10 of 12 this winter. I finally found a guy here in SLC that is doing them and advertising. He charges a base of $400 to do them unless its just a swarm capture. I have sent him an email and told him if he ever needs a free hand to just let me know. Nothing yet?? Frantz

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Don't be yourself, "Be the man you would want your daughters to marry!!"

I think a portable generator is a good idea if you are doing this professionally. For the hobbiest, I would say use either cordless tools or rent a generator. Because I feel that at least in Florida. It is rare that you are in a situation where you need electricity. Also I have a 4000 watt inverter in my van and a battery bank. I use for work and that is also an alternative idea. However I feel these are more along the lines of professional tools.

You circumstances may be different so a generator may be a very practical idea.

If you are doing this professionally a bucket truck would also be a good idea. :)

If you rent a generator more than 4 times a year. Buy a good generator. I am not sure what is like up north but here in Florida almost everyone has one because of the hurricanes. I assume snow white outs would probably mean most people in the north have one also.

Sincerely,Brendhan

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The status is not quo. The world is a mess and I just need to rule it. Dr. Horrible

dust pan. i used one this time and it worked well. since i don't have a bee vac yet, i swept the bees into the dust pan and dumped them into the hive.

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.....The greatest changes occur in their country without their cooperation. They are not even aware of precisely what has taken place. They suspect it; they have heard of the event by chance. More than that, they are unconcerned with the fortunes of their village, the safety of their streets, the fate of their church and its vestry. They think that such things have nothing to do with them, that they belong to a powerful stranger called the government. They enjoy these goods as tenants, without a sense of ownership, and never give a thought to how they might be improved.....

i just swept up the clumps and swept down the post that they were on. they kind of pealed off and dropped in the pan. they weren't happy, but i didn't get any stings on the first hive. they all came from the 2nd hive and not while i was sweeping them :-)

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.....The greatest changes occur in their country without their cooperation. They are not even aware of precisely what has taken place. They suspect it; they have heard of the event by chance. More than that, they are unconcerned with the fortunes of their village, the safety of their streets, the fate of their church and its vestry. They think that such things have nothing to do with them, that they belong to a powerful stranger called the government. They enjoy these goods as tenants, without a sense of ownership, and never give a thought to how they might be improved.....

If you are doing this professionally a bucket truck would also be a good idea. :)

I assume snow white outs would probably mean most people in the north have one also.

I am sorta a tool fanatic, but yes we do have power outages here, ususally do to electrical storms. Just a hobbiest, but a bucket truck would be nice to take out this old maple tree in my yard I am going to have to pay to have removed...LOL. One other tool we found handy is a sheetrock mudding knife thats about 6 inches wide. Worked well to cut the comb off with.

I like to keep a couple of epi pens handy. Also plenty of rubber bands for strapping comb into frames. I take a propane torch (one with a push button igniter) for lighting the smoker and heating knives to cut the comb. I especially like my old carving knife that has about 1" bent over 90 degrees on the tip. Don't forget plenty of tie down straps, I use the ratchet type. I carry a 5' folding plastic table (from Sam's) to set near my work area to put stuff on. Folding chairs are also nice to have when you need a break in the shade. Being in Texas, I also bring along plenty of water and/or Gatoraid.